THE 2024 YOUNG MATHEMATICAL STORY AUTHORS (YMSA)
COMPETITION
THE STUART J. MURPHY AWARD
(THE 8-11 YEARS OLD CATEGORY)
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With 650 entries from 67 schools across 14 countries to judge, the Stuart J. Murphy Award (the 8-11 years old category) is very competitive this year.
The competition is also very inclusive with 386 female students and 264 male students participated.
Many congratulations to the authors of the winning, shortlisted and longlisted entries! The winner receives £100 and their school another £100. The Award is generously funded by HarperCollins.
You can read these talented authors' mathematical stories, their inspiration for the stories, and the judges' comments below.
Feel free to share their works on social media using the #YMSAMaths hashtag.
We would like to thank all the authors for taking part in this year's YMSA competition and to their schools (and parents) for encouraging them to participate in the competition. Below is the list of this year's participating schools for this age category.
Bangkok Patana School (Thailand)
Bawtry Mayflower Primary School (UK)
Beechwood Park School (UK)
Bucklands Beach Intermediate (New Zealand)
Callington Community College (UK)
Canadian International School Beijing (China)
Channing Junior School (UK)
Denla British School (UK)
Downe House Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
Downshall Primary School (UK)
Downsway Primary School (UK)
Dulwich College Beijing (China)
Dumpton School (UK)
Durston House School (UK)
Edge Grove School (UK)
Glenarden Woods Elementary (USA, Maryland)
Global Indian International School (India)
Harrow International School Bangkok (Thailand)
Harrow International School Hong Kong (China)
Heathbrook Primary School (UK)
Heatherton School (UK)
International School of Lund (Sweden)
Jebel Ali School Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Kendrick School (UK)
King James I Academy (UK)
King's Ely (UK)
Kirknewton Primary (UK)
Lancing Prep Worthing (UK)
Longridge Primary School (UK)
Maltmans Green School (UK)
Mt Pleasant School (New Zealand)
Nahda Academy (Saudi Arabia)
Newcastle Preparatory School (UK)
Newlands School (United Arab Emirates)
Norland Place (UK)
North West London Jewish Day School (UK)
Northside Primary School (UK)
Oberoi International School JVLR (India)
PEP School V2 (India)
Pinewood School (UK)
Pristine Private School (United Arab Emirates)
Sharafuddin School (Maldives)
Sherburn Hungate Primary School (UK)
Silver Oaks International School (India)
Sir Frederick Gibberd (UK)
St Albans Catholic Primary School (UK)
St Andrews CofE Primary (UK)
St Aubyn’s School (UK)
St Christophers School London (UK)
St Ives Public School (Australia)
St James Preparatory School (UK)
St Martins College (Malta)
Tanglin Trust School (Singapore)
The British International School Ukraine (Ukraine)
The Hall School (UK)
The Kings School Macclesfield (UK)
The Study Prep (UK)
Thomas Deacon Academy Juniors (UK)
Tormead Prep School (UK)
Truro Prep School (UK)
Westcliff High School for Girls (UK)
Wimbledon High School (UK)
To read the winning, shortlisted and longlisted entries of our 2024 Cindy Neuschwander Award (the 12-15 years old category), click here.
If you want to learn more about our upcoming 2025 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2023 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2022 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2021 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2020 competition, click here.
If you want to learn more about our 2019 competition, click here.
WINNER
'The Secret of Area' by Samara Dhankar (10 years old)
at Oberoi International School JVLR (India)
'The Secret of Area' by Samara Dhankar (10 years old)
at Oberoi International School JVLR (India)
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What the judges say: "For the second year in a row, Samara, your story has won the YMSA Stuart J. Murphy Award. What an honor! Your winning entry in 2023 was a marvelous international tale presenting the mathematical concept of using division to solve complex problems. I remember being impressed by how well you were able to weave social issues and an active and engaging storyline into a comprehensive mathematical tale. Well, you have done it again, and even surpassed last year’s story with this year’s entry, 'The Secret of Area'. Ariadne, your primary character, sets the pace from the start as she determines to prove the value of the concept of understanding area. Readers are introduced to an ever-advancing system of area challenges, from squares and rectangles and a compound shape to an inscribed shape and a triangle, all clearly illustrated with charming watercolor paintings. Social issues include easy access to education, sheltering the homeless, equality and sharing, and the need for clean energy. Your knowledge of Greek Mythology shows through. It’s all there! Congratulations on this great achievement, Samara!" |
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What the author says: "'The Secret of Area' is a story that shows how the mathematical concept of Area can resolve not only simple problems of building a road, painting a wall but also complex ones like resolving conflicts, conserving nature and building a sustainable future. My story based on Greek mythology features Ariadne and four demigods who while exploring the town of Areallark, encounter problems of unique nature. Each problem or situation requires them to collaborate, use their individual strengths and knowledge of Area. In the process of creating this mathematical story picture book, I especially enjoyed the creative thinking involved while conceptualising five meaningful contexts that were integrated in the story. There is nothing more exciting than learning maths through storytelling! I feel that teachers across the world should give their students opportunities to create mathematical story picture books as part of their Maths lessons so students get to learn maths in a more effective, authentic and engaging way." |
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What the judges say: "Using archery to show the properties of a wide variety of angles is brilliant, Ilan. Angus is an interesting character right from the start. His fascination with orange is reinforced throughout the story with your clever inclusion of such items as his apricot-colored boots and his marmalade-toned bow, not to mention that his best friend is named Saffron. But it’s the use of Angus’ notebook to show all the angles in detail and to introduce the protractor as a measurement tool that really makes this presentation work so well. Your diagrams are accurate and instructive and the pentagon display with the formula presented above is especially well done. This mathematical content is nicely embedded in your engaging story about how Angus uses his skills in archery and mathematics to slay the aliens and rescue Degreeville Primary School. Congratulations on a job well achieved, Ilan!" |
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What the author says: "I decided to write about angles because I enjoyed learning about them in maths class and I realised it is difficult to learn about angles without pictures. That made it a perfect topic for me to write an illustrated maths story about. Writing the story took me a long time but it was quite worthwhile because I had never written a story about maths before. I had to think about how to explain new concepts to others while also making the story fascinating. I think maths teachers should give opportunities for their students to write maths stories in their classes because they are fun to write as well as read! They make the topics easier to engage with because we are learning maths concepts while being creative and using our imaginations." |
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What the judges say: "Your tale about how Mr. Parallelogram helps Irregular Izzy to be accepted by the students at Shape School is well accomplished, Carina. The diagrams are especially well done and carefully explained. The storyline works well with the mathematical explanations and feels very natural. I also enjoyed your “feel good” ending. Congratulations, Carina!" |
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What the author says: "I have always enjoyed our geometry topics so I wanted to do something in this area. The idea to link the story to a PSHE theme of fitting in or being a unique individual gave me the idea to write about irregular shapes. I found the writing process really enjoyable and I definitely understand interior angles, exterior angles and the definitions of regular and irregular shapes more fully. I hope more maths teachers around the world allow for children's imaginations to combine with their maths skills as part of their maths lessons!" |
SHORTLISTED
'The Golden Time' by Derek Huang (9 years old)
at Harrow International School Hong Kong (China)
'The Golden Time' by Derek Huang (9 years old)
at Harrow International School Hong Kong (China)
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What the judges say: "Your story, The Golden Time, is a great exercise in problem-solving, Derek. As you stated in your author’s blurb, many problems in life can be solved through an understanding of fractions. What a nice thought! Because of the complexity of the skills you are presenting, the story itself is very complex and a challenge to write. Your graphic displays on the bulletin board do a great job of explaining the mathematical concepts. We especially enjoyed your grand finale, the diagram of the “Butterfly Method.” Very well done, Derek!" |
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What the author says: "My inspiration for my story is like the title of the story 'Golden Time', in our school we have a fun rule which keeps students motivated and makes them keep on pushing. When your class really impress your teacher, you can get 'Golden Time' which means you can play board games, read, or choose another activity. I really enjoyed the process of creating my maths story picture book, and felt so rewarded - I also loved being so creative in Maths. I think Maths teachers should give students opportunities to create maths story picture books in Maths lessons because it helps us learn maths better and can improve our writing skills. This is a massive opportunity that we don’t want to miss!" |
SHORTLISTED
'H.C.F. to the Rescue' by Siddhant Mangal (9 years old)
at Tanglin Trust School (Singapore)
'H.C.F. to the Rescue' by Siddhant Mangal (9 years old)
at Tanglin Trust School (Singapore)
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What the judges say: "This is truly a mathematical adventure from start to finish, Siddhant. Introducing factors and the concept of Highest Common Factor in a story about planning a birthday party is very effective. You take us through such things as the guest list, invitations, and decorations, always staying on theme as you present a wide variety of very complicated mathematical computations. The goal of avoiding wastage is a thoughtful and useful subtext. Nicely achieved, Siddhant!" |
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What the author says: "I was inspired to write this story based on a real-life incident wherein I planned my mum’s surprise 40th birthday party all by myself as my dad was away on a business trip. I decided to narrate this fond memory while pairing it up with my favourite mathematical concept, highest common factors (HCF). The idea of HCF rendered itself easily to birthday situations needing grouping and deciding dimensions of decorations and invites. The process of explaining the concept first through principles and visualisation helped me create a deep-rooted understanding of HCF which was not based only on formulae. I found writing HCF a thoroughly enjoyable process with many learning points along the way. I think maths teachers globally should encourage their students to write maths stories. This will help both students and their readers to understand maths concepts." |
SHORTLISTED
'The Tale of Two Mathematical Villages' by Louise Hirsh (11 years old)
at Norland Place School (UK)
'The Tale of Two Mathematical Villages' by Louise Hirsh (11 years old)
at Norland Place School (UK)
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What the judges say: "You took on a difficult task, Louise. Explaining cube numbers and square numbers in a believable story is not easy, but you have done it well. The two towns of Cube Village and Square Village separated by a lake provide an excellent setting for your creative tale. Right from the start, establishing that your main characters, “1” and “64,” are siblings adds a sense of numerical intrigue. Your visual representations of the numbers are nicely presented and do a good job of explaining this complex topic. Excellent work, Louise!" |
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What the author says: "I chose to write this story because when we were learning about square and cube numbers I found it very interesting so I wanted to learn more about it! I also realised that all of my family members' birthdays are on days that are square or cube numbers! I definitely think the process helped me to understand the topic more deeply - I'm now a pro at square and cube numbers! Overall this competition has been a great thing for me and I'd encourage more teachers to give their students opportunities to create their own mathematical story picture books in their Maths lessons as it is a great learning opportunity for English and maths to come together." |
SHORTLISTED
'Triplet's Multiplication and Division Fun Has Begun!' by Rdar Siriwanchompoo (9 years old)
at Denla British School (Thailand)
'Triplet's Multiplication and Division Fun Has Begun!' by Rdar Siriwanchompoo (9 years old)
at Denla British School (Thailand)
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What the judges say: "The quarreling triplets, Susie, Sunny and Samuel, provide the perfect cast for your story about sharing equally, Rdar. They successfully use division and multiplication to learn how to share grapes, blocks, strawberries and sticker sheets in creative ways. Your diagrams of arrays to show each problem are very useful, especially as you introduce division with remainders in the last two examples. It is interesting to note that reading and drawing are your favorite activities, that you have been writing stories since you were five years old, and that you hope to be an author someday. You have a great head start, Rdar!" |
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What the author says: "I was inspired to write this book because I love writing stories about children solving problems. I also love reading and drawing. Creating a mathematical story picture book made my learning more enjoyable because I got to draw different pictures in each situation. Moreover, I got to review the mathematical concepts for accuracy. I hope that math teachers around the world would give opportunities to their students to create maths story picture books the same way that my teachers do, because it helps students develop their maths and imagination." |
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What the judges say: "Explaining the relationships between two- and three-dimensional shapes in the context of a story is an admirable undertaking, Sophie. You have done a nice job of demonstrating the attributes of 3-D shapes and their 2-D counterparts, and of showing that a three-dimensional shape is made up of two-dimensional shapes by showing the diagram of a net. Great work, Sophie!" |
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What the author says: "The inspiration for my story was based on moving to a new school and changing to a new environment. Some of the other inspiration for my story was thinking about equality and how everyone should be treated equally. I personally really enjoyed making my maths story even though it took a long time to finish. This process did help me revise shapes and all their meanings. I personally think that math teachers should give students the opportunity to create maths story picture books in regular lessons as it will help children to do more mathematical work but in a fun and creative way." |
LONGLISTED ENTRIES
The judges would also like to offer congratulations to authors of the following entries which were longlisted for the 2024 Stuart J. Murphy Award!
The judges would also like to offer congratulations to authors of the following entries which were longlisted for the 2024 Stuart J. Murphy Award!
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'Dividing with Monkeys' by Cailey Ng (9 years old) at Harrow International School Hong Kong (China)
'The Adventure to the Cave of Doom' by Rose Williams (9 years old) at Bawtry Mayflower Primary School (UK)
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'The Land of Shapes' by Ira Ramakrishnan (8 years old) at Jebel Ali School Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
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